The Sword of the Northwest

You get up and begin lashing your foot out at his face, he simply deflects the attacks, grabs your heel and flings you over his head, slamming you down into the ground. 'Get up.' He demands. You raise yourself to your knees. 'I said get up boy!' You fall as he kicks you in the back, flat to the ground. You're whinded momentarily, you feel angered by his rudeness, what were you learning by this? As if reading your thoughts the elf says, 'you must learn to defend yourself, is this how you will react in a fight? Will you lay there and allow your enemy to destroy you? What are you afraid of? To be afraid is to fail, you must learn to react in ways your opponent will not be able to identify, neither expect.' What? What was he talking about? Is this guy crazy? 'Come.' You pick yourself up and follow the elf. You walked beyond the edges of the palace, you stepped across stepping stones, and clambered up a hill, there was set a bowl of water on top of a carpet, roses too. He sat down by the bowl, crossing his little legs. You did the same. 'You must react in ways the water does, you must become the water, it has inspired many.' He slapped the water with lightning speed and the water droplet splashed and made dark marks on the carpet. 'Now, place a petal, on each of the droplets you see.' 'What!?' 'Just do it!' You did so, and it made a pattern across the carpet. 'See? You must become like the water, you must go in patterns in each situation. Now, slap the water.' You did so and the water went in completely different directions and pattern. The elf placed yellow petals upon the spots he saw. 'You cannot go in the same spot as anyone else you see? You must do things completely different!' Wow..this guy had done his homework, that or he had done this many times before, or perhaps both. After this you went for a few mile walk around the woods, the palace and clambered up hills. It was a blazing hot day, you had gone into battle a few times, learning more than you had ever believed to be possible. By the time you were finished you were tired and hungry, and you found he hadn't given you anything for hours. 'I'm thirsty, where can I get a drink?' 'You do not drink. Nor do you eat. You must learn to contain these needs and desperations, only then will you be strong enough. Things that you do not want to do, are always sweetest in the end. You do not see this yet, but you will.' Was this guy trying to kill you?!

Later on, you made your way to the castle, in your room he had already set a glass of water, clear and simply irresistable. You gulped down the fluent liquids, and the crazy old elf was right, it was always sweeter in the end after in the end, suffering torturous hours of walking and learning that is..